Un detective in corsia

Take one part Columbo, one part E.R. and one part the Dick Van Dyke Show and you get this great show. Dick Van Dyke proves beyond a shadow of a doubt that he is one of the most versatile actors in the history of television. I think that this is most definitely his best role since Rob Petrie. Also, like the Dick Van Dyke Show, this show relied on a great ensemble. Victoria Rowell, Barry Van Dyke and Charlie Schlatter were great supporting characters in this great show. Too bad its not on the air anymore, I miss seeing it and its wonderful cast.

Thankfully as a student I have been able to watch "Diagnosis Murder" for a number of years now. It is basically about a doctor who solves murders with the help of his LAPD son, a young doctor and a pathologist. DM provided 8 seasons of exceptional entertainment. What made it different from the many other cop shows and worth watching many times over was its cast and quality of writing. The main cast gave good performances and Dick Van Dyke's entertainer roots shone through with the use of magic, dance and humor. The best aspects of DM was the fast pace, witty scripts and of course the toe tapping score. Sadly it has been unfairly compared to "Murder, She Wrote". DM is far superior boasting more difficult mysteries to solve and more variety. Now it is gone TV is a worse place. Gone are the days of feelgood, family friendly cop shows. Now there is just depressing 'gritty' ones.

"Diagnosis Murder? That's just Murder She Wrote with Dick Van Dyke instead of Angela Lansbury, isn't it? A show for old people, right?"

NOT! If you are one of the many who have fallen into this fallacy, I'm here to set the record straight. Diagnosis Murder is an action-packed, laugh-packed roller coaster ride of a series. At its heart is its wonderful company, Dick Van Dyke, Barry Van Dyke, Victoria Rowell and Charlie Schlatter. The chemistry among these four is what I love about the show. (Well,okay, that and watching Barry Van Dyke do anything, anything at all.) The show has revealed in wonderful writers over the years who know the characters, are true to the characters, and give them situations which allow their relationships to grow, develop, and shine through to the audience.

Best of all, each year the show gets better. It's incredible. Like salmon swimming upstream--you don't know how they do it, you just stand back in awe and watch. The characters are becoming more and more real rather than turning into caricatures of themselves, the way so many series characters do. And the stories are getting more exciting, suspenseful and inventive every year.

If you haven't seen Diagnosis Murder lately--you don't know this show. Give it a watch.

If you say you won't watch Diagnosis Murder because you think it is a copy of Murder She Wrote. Then you should not dismiss this show just because of that. It is a great show with good actors. This show blends mystery, action, and humor. Dick Van Dyke is excellent as Mark Slone. Too bad the show is over but there is always repeats on Pax. If you haven't seen Diagnosis Murder then you don't know what you are missing.

A big fat PFOOOEY for the executives that cancelled Diagnosis Murder! As you can see the show had followers all over the world. I sure do miss it. All that is left now is to watch the reruns. But as we say in Switzerland: As soon as the money-cow can't be milked anymore it is slaughtered. Which means Dick Van Dyke and his staff have served their purpose and are now dismissed. They didn't even get a fair chance to bring their ratings back on track. Just lose some points and you're OUT - no matter who or what you are. THAT's how it works nowadays, baby.

As already stated in other reviews DM had a remarkable wit and humour. It gave the classic whodunnit-tales always a nice and warm family-touch. Especially through the relationship of the main characters Dr. Mark Sloan and his son Steve (Dick and Barry Van Dyke). But it wasn't just a personality show à la "the Van Dykes meet Sherlock Holmes". Every single member of the cast was involved and had his or her big moment.

Oh, by the way: of COURSE you didn't see the doctors doing much work in the hospital, and of COURSE if you saw them in the hospital it had to do with a case they were working on. Otherwise the show would have been called "Emergency Room"... And another thing: I have been watching the series since it was first aired in Europe years ago - and I'm 32. So what's this nonsense about DM being an "old people show"? And if so, would that automatically make it bad??? Really, there are some weird people out there.

I truly hope that there will be a DVD-set sometime soon. This series really deserves a good treatment. And Dick Van Dyke is nothing less than an incredibly gifted Genius!